Farm Horizons
Garbage
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June 6, 2016
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Page 32
continued from page 29
As Kuske drives around peeking into burn barrels, he
also knocks on doors and chats with property owners,
amiably reminding them that burning garbage isn’t OK,
and discussing other options for disposal.
Most are receptive, but a few seem guarded and uneasy. One man, after Kuske prodded him for information about his trash burner, answered with a staged Germanic accent, only half-jokingly, “I know noth-ink.”
Brady works in the part of the state where the MPCA
investigates more illegal burning than anywhere else
– the south.
Based in Rochester, Brady covers a 20-county area.
Only two counties in his area have enacted a “no-burn”
resolution to close a loophole allowing farmers to burn
agriculture-related waste. The loophole, according to
Brady and his colleagues, creates confusion about burning laws and fuels an erroneous perception that farmers
and their rural neighbors can burn just about anything.
Inspectors once found a charred horse carcass in the
rubble of a garbage fire. Brady described investigating
a property that had become a dump-and-burn site for
debris from foreclosed homes.
Most of Brady’s tips about illegal burning come in by
phone. Many tipsters are reporting their neighbors and
don’t want to be identified.
About half of the trash burners Brady investigates
have valid burn permits to burn plant material or untreated wood, but they have violated permit terms by
tossing garbage into the mix.
Unlike Kuske, Brady doesn’t carry a badge or a sidearm, so he sometimes asks local law enforcement for
backup when he senses that a confrontation with a burner might turn threatening. Most of the time, the young
Marine veteran relies on his empathetic manner to get to
the bottom of an investigation.
“When you start talking plastics and other kinds of
toxic materials, most people understand it. And I’m
pretty sure a majority of them know it’s bad,” explained
Brady. “Usually, by the end of the conversation, they’re
saying, ‘We apologize, we didn’t really understand the
effects, we’ll stop this now.’”
Originally published by Minnesota Conservation
Volunteer Magazine. n
Enjoy Breakfast on the Farm
By Jennifer Von Ohlen
Start the day with a hearty breakfast where it started.
Breakfast on the Farm is returning Saturday, June 18, to the
Goldview Farms in Waverly for families and friends to dine and
learn about the work and care involved before dairy products hit
the grocery shelves.
After breakfast, starting at 7 a.m., visitors can participate in
several hands-on activities designed to educate, as well as entertain.
They can tour the operating dairy farm, take a wagon ride,
visit with a veterinarian, explore the milking parlor, taste cheese,
ice cream, and milk samples; visit the petting zoo, look at modern machinery, play in Sand City, and more.
The farm is owned by Greg “Butch” and Faye Bakeberg, and
their son, Pat. It is a fifth generation dairy operation homesteaded in 1873. This is the sixth year they will be hosting the event,
which brings in 2,000 people each year.
All proceeds above cost will be donated to the local food
shelf.
Visitors are encouraged to park at Howard Lake-WaverlyWinsted High School, located between Winsted and Howard
Lake on Wright County Road 6. From there, they will receive a
free shuttle ride to the event. Limited handicap parking will be
available at the farm.
Visit photos.heraldjournal.com for a photo gallery after the
event, and watch for select images to appear in the print edition
of the Herald Journal.
Spending the day at the farm?
When: Saturday, June 18
Breakfast time: 7 a.m. to noon
Menu: Pancakes, sausage, coffee, and milk
Breakfast cost: Adult $5, children 5 and under, free
Location: Park at Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted High
School and shuttle over to Goldview Farms in Waverly.
Activities: Take a wagon ride, tour the dairy farm, sample
dairy products, visit interactive educational booths, play in Sand
City, view modern machinery, take a photo with a calf, visit a
petting zoo, and more.
More information: Email breakfastonthefarm@hotmail.
com or visit www.breakfastonthefarm.org.
Visitors can explore a petting zoo, and get close to other
animals on the farm.
PHOTO BY JULIA JAGODZINSKI